Optimizing Allocation of Configuration Elements

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods for optimizing allocation of configuration elements in a service engagement. A plurality of Service Level Agreements (SLAs) corresponding to a service engagement is received. A Service Level Agreement (SLA) of the plurality of Service Level Agreements (SLAs) includes a plurality of configuration elements and a plurality of SLA compliances. A model is created by allocating a subset of the plurality of configuration elements to meet the SLA. The model is simulated to verify the plurality of SLA compliances being met by the subset allotted. Based on the simulation, a time series data indicating behavior of the model is obtained. The model is optimized to obtain an optimal allocation of the plurality of configuration elements. The model is optimized by allocating another subset of the plurality of configuration elements to meet the SLA.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This Application claims priority from Indian Patent Application No.3238/MUM/2013 filed on Oct. 15, 2013, the entirety of which isincorporated by reference herein.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present disclosure in general relates to a field of serviceengagement in production support services. More particularly, thepresent disclosure relates to systems and methods for optimizingallocation of configuration elements in the service engagement.

BACKGROUND

In the information technology (IT) enterprises, information services areprovided by computer resource suppliers and are consumed by informationservices consumers. Generally, the information services are providedbased on requirements specified for Service Level Agreements (SLA) thathave been agreed between a client and a vendor. The vendor may commit todeliver certain services to the client in a particular time. The vendormay need to consider resources that are available in the enterprise tomeet the service level agreement.

It is important for the vendor to determine the resources that may beused to meet the service level agreement. For example, the vendor mayhave to determine the resources required such as hardware, software, orhuman resource required across multiple locations in order to meet userdefined constraints and requirements or the SLAs. In order to adequatelyplan the resources required to meet the SLA, the vendor may have toforecast the resources that may have to be allotted for a particulartask.

Traditional approaches for allotting the resources determinesrequirements of the services for the operational resources that areneeded to meet the service level agreements. However, the traditionalapproaches provide optimizing either the operating resources or costsassociated with the operating resources. Further, the traditionalapproaches do not consider various factors that are required todetermine the costs for the operational resources allotted. For example,the traditional approaches do not consider constraints associated in theservice level agreement to determine the resources required.

SUMMARY

This summary is provided to introduce concepts related to systems andmethods for optimizing allocation of configuration elements in a serviceengagement and the concepts are further described below in the detaileddescription. This summary is not intended for use in determining orlimiting the scope of the claimed subject matter.

In one implementation, a method for optimizing allocation ofconfiguration elements in a service engagement is disclosed. The methodincludes receiving, by a processor, a plurality of Service LevelAgreements (SLAs) corresponding to a service engagement between a clientand a vendor. A Service Level Agreement (SLA) of the plurality ofService Level Agreements (SLAs) includes a plurality of configurationelements and a plurality of SLA compliances. The plurality ofconfiguration elements indicates factors facilitating the execution ofthe service engagement to meet the SLA. The plurality of SLA compliancesindicates a plurality of pre-defined conditions agreed between theclient and the vendor to meet the SLA. The method further includescreating, by the processor, a model to meet the plurality of SLAcompliances. The model is created by allocating a subset of theplurality of configuration elements to meet the SLA. The method furtherincludes simulating, by the processor, the model in order to verify theplurality of SLA compliances being met by the subset allotted. Themethod further includes obtaining, by the processor, a time series dataindicating behavior of the model. The time series data obtained showsutilization/performance of the subset allotted for a predefined timeinterval. The method further includes optimizing, by the processor, themodel to obtain an optimal allocation of the plurality of configurationelements. The model is optimized by allocating another subset of theplurality of configuration elements.

In one implementation, a system for optimizing allocation ofconfiguration elements in a service engagement is disclosed. The systemincludes a processor and a memory coupled to the processor. Theprocessor executes program instructions stored in the memory, to receivea plurality of Service Level Agreements (SLAs) corresponding to aservice engagement between a client and a vendor. A Service LevelAgreement (SLA) of the plurality of Service Level Agreements (SLAs)includes a plurality of configuration elements and a plurality of SLAcompliances. The plurality of configuration elements indicates factorsfacilitating the execution of the service engagement to meet the SLA.The plurality of SLA compliances indicates a plurality of pre-definedconditions agreed between the client and the vendor to meet the SLA. Theprocessor further executes the program instructions to create a model tomeet the plurality of SLA compliances. The model is created byallocating a subset of the plurality of configuration elements to meetthe SLA. The processor further executes the program instructions tosimulating the model in order to verify the plurality of SLA compliancesbeing met by the subset allotted. The processor further executes theprogram instructions to obtain a time series data indicating behavior ofthe model. The time series data obtained shows utilization/performanceof the subset allotted for a predefined time interval. The processorfurther executes the program instructions to optimize the model toobtain an optimal allocation of the plurality of configuration elementsfor the subset. The model is optimized by allocating another subset ofthe plurality of configuration elements.

In one implementation, a non-transitory computer readable mediumembodying a program executable in a computing device for optimizingallocation of configuration elements in a service engagement isdisclosed. The program includes a program code for receiving a pluralityof Service Level Agreements (SLAs) corresponding to a service engagementbetween a client and a vendor. A Service Level Agreement (SLA) of theplurality of Service Level Agreements (SLAs) includes a plurality ofconfiguration elements and a plurality of SLA compliances. The pluralityof configuration elements indicates factors facilitating the executionof the service engagement to meet the SLA. The plurality of SLAcompliances indicates a plurality of pre-defined conditions agreedbetween the client and the vendor to meet the SLA. The program furtherincludes a program code for creating a model to meet the plurality ofSLA compliances. The model is created by allocating a subset of theplurality of configuration elements to meet the SLA. The program furtherincludes a program code for simulating the model in order to verify theplurality of SLA compliances being met by the subset allotted. Theprogram further includes a program code for obtaining a time series dataindicating behavior of the model. The time series data obtained showsutilization/performance of the subset allotted for a predefined timeinterval. The program further includes a program code for optimizing themodel to obtain an optimal allocation of the plurality of configurationelements for the subset. The model is optimized by allocating anothersubset of the plurality of configuration elements.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

The detailed description is provided with reference to the accompanyingfigures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference numberidentifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. Thesame numbers are used throughout the drawings to refer like/similarfeatures and components.

FIG. 1 illustrates a network implementation of a system for optimizingallocation of configuration elements in a service engagement, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates the system, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates a method for optimizing allocation of configurationelements in a service engagement, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter withreference to the accompanying drawings in which exemplary embodiments ofthe invention are shown. However, the invention may be embodied in manydifferent forms and should not be construed as limited to therepresentative embodiments set forth herein. The exemplary embodimentsare provided so that this disclosure will be both thorough and complete,and will fully convey the scope of the invention and enable one ofordinary skill in the art to make, use and practice the invention. Likereference numbers refer to like elements throughout the variousdrawings. In addition, the words “comprising,” “having,” “containing,”and “including,” and other forms thereof, are intended to be equivalentin meaning and be open ended in that an item or items following any oneof these words is not meant to be an exhaustive listing of such item oritems, or meant to be limited to only the listed item or items. It mustalso be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, thesingular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural references unless thecontext clearly dictates otherwise. Disclosed are systems and methodsfor optimizing allocation of configuration elements in a serviceengagement. The service engagement may comprise an agreement between aclient and a vendor. The vendor may have to allot configuration elementsat a facility of the vendor to meet the service engagement. Forallotting the configuration elements, at first, a plurality of ServiceLevel Agreements (SLAs) corresponding to a service engagement betweenthe client and the vendor may be received. A Service Level Agreement(SLA) of the plurality of Service Level Agreements (SLAs) comprises aplurality of configuration elements and a plurality of SLA compliances.The plurality of configuration elements indicates factors facilitatingthe execution of the service engagement to meet the SLA. The pluralityof SLA compliances indicates a plurality of pre-defined conditionsagreed between the client and the vendor to meet the SLA.

In order to allot the plurality of configuration elements, a model maybe created to meet the plurality of SLA compliances. The model may becreated by allocating a subset of the plurality of configurationelements to meet the SLA. The model may be simulated to verify theplurality of SLA compliances being met by the subset allotted. Aftersimulating the model based on the subset allotted, a time series dataindicating behavior of the model may be obtained. The time series dataobtained may show utilization/performance of the subset allotted for apredefined time interval.

Based on the performance of the subset allotted, the model may beoptimized to obtain an optimal allocation of the plurality ofconfiguration elements. The model may be optimized by allocating anothersubset of the plurality of configuration elements.

While aspects of described system and method for optimizing allocationof configuration elements in a service engagement may be implemented inany number of different computing systems, environments, and/orconfigurations, the embodiments are described in the context of thefollowing exemplary system.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a network implementation 100 of a system 102for optimizing allocation of configuration elements in a serviceengagement is illustrated, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent disclosure. The system 102 may receive a plurality of ServiceLevel Agreements (SLAs) corresponding to a service engagement betweenthe client and the vendor. A Service Level Agreement (SLA) of theplurality of Service Level Agreements (SLAs) may comprise a plurality ofconfiguration elements and a plurality of SLA compliances. The system102 may create a model to meet the plurality of SLA compliances. Themodel may be created by allocating a subset of the plurality ofconfiguration elements to meet the SLA. After creating the model, thesystem 102 may simulate the model to verify the plurality of SLAcompliances being met by the subset allotted. Subsequent to simulating,the system 102 may obtain a time series data indicating behavior of themodel. From the time series data obtained, the system 102 may observeperformance of the subset allotted for a predefined time interval.

Based on the performance of the subset allotted, the system 102 mayoptimize the model to obtain an optimal allocation of the plurality ofconfiguration elements. The system 102 may optimize the model byallocating another subset of the plurality of configuration elements.

Although the present disclosure is explained by considering a scenariothat the system 102 is implemented as an application on a server. It maybe understood that the system 102 may also be implemented in a varietyof computing systems, such as a laptop computer, a desktop computer, anotebook, a workstation, a mainframe computer; a server, a networkserver, and the like. It will be understood that the system 102 may beaccessed by multiple users through one or more user devices 104-1,104-2, 104-3 . . . 104-N collectively referred to as user devices 104hereinafter, or applications residing on the user devices 104. Examplesof the user devices 104 may include, but are not limited to, a portablecomputer, a personal digital assistant, a handheld device, and aworkstation. The user devices 104 are communicatively coupled to thesystem 102 through a network 106.

In one implementation, the network 106 may be a wireless network, awired network or a combination thereof. The network 106 can beimplemented as one of the different types of networks, such as intranet,local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), the internet, and thelike. The network 106 may either be a dedicated network or a sharednetwork. The shared network represents an association of the differenttypes of networks that use a variety of protocols, for example,Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Transmission ControlProtocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), Wireless Application Protocol(WAP), and the like, to communicate with one another. Further thenetwork 106 may include a variety of network devices, including routers,bridges, servers, computing devices, storage devices, and the like.

Referring now to FIG. 2, the system 102 is illustrated in accordancewith an embodiment of the present disclosure. In one embodiment, thesystem 102 may include at least one processor 202, an input/output (I/O)interface 204, and a memory 206. The at least one processor 202 may beimplemented as one or more microprocessors, microcomputers,microcontrollers, digital signal processors, central processing units,state machines, logic circuitries, and/or any devices that manipulatesignals based on operational instructions. Among other capabilities, theat least one processor 202 is configured to fetch and executecomputer-readable instructions stored in the memory 206.

The I/O interface 204 may include a variety of software and hardwareinterfaces, for example, a web interface, a graphical user interface, anApplication Program Interface (API) and the like. The I/O interface 204may allow the system 102 to interact with a user directly or through theuser devices 104. Further, the I/O interface 204 may enable the system102 to communicate with other computing devices, such as web servers andexternal data servers (not shown). The I/O interface 204 may facilitatemultiple communications within a wide variety of networks and protocoltypes, including wired networks, for example, LAN, cable, etc., andwireless networks, such as WLAN, cellular, or satellite. The I/Ointerface 204 may include one or more ports for connecting a number ofdevices to one another or to another server.

The memory 206 may include any computer-readable medium known in the artincluding, for example, volatile memory, such as static random accessmemory (SRAM) and dynamic random access memory (DRAM), and/ornon-volatile memory, such as read only memory (ROM), erasableprogrammable ROM, flash memories, hard disks, optical disks, andmagnetic tapes.

In one implementation, at first, a user may use the client device 104 toaccess the system 102 via the I/O interface 204. The working of thesystem 102 may be explained in detail using FIG. 2, FIG. 3 and FIG. 4explained below. The system 102 may be used for optimizing allocation ofconfiguration elements in a service engagement.

In order to optimize allocation of configuration elements in the serviceengagement, at first, the system 102 may receive a plurality of ServiceLevel Agreements (SLAs) corresponding to the service engagement betweenthe client and the vendor. The service engagement may indicate anarrangement made between the client and the vendor such that the vendordelivers certain services to achieve objectives of the client. In oneexample, the service engagement may include the vendor providingservices to the client to build a datacenter at a facility of theclient. In another example, the service engagement may include thevendor providing services to a product of the client for a certainperiod of time e.g. one year. The vendor may indicate a service providerto the client i.e., an organization. The client may employ the vendor toachieve objectives of the client. The client may employ the vendor basedon the SLA negotiated with the vendor. In one example, the SLA mayinclude terms for measuring service accountability of a ticket assignedto the vendor. In one example, the terms may include time committed bythe vendor to deliver the project.

A SLA of the plurality of SLAs may comprise a plurality of configurationelements and a plurality of SLA compliances. The plurality ofconfiguration elements indicates factors facilitating the execution ofthe SLA. The plurality of configuration elements may comprise at leastone of resources, constraints, tickets, and a location. The plurality ofSLA compliances indicates a plurality of pre-defined conditions agreedbetween the client and the vendor to meet the SLA. In other words, theSLA compliance indicate adherence of the vendor to meet the SLA in agiven time. In one example, the SLA compliance may indicate the termsagreed by the vendor to deliver the project e.g. one year.

As presented above, the plurality of the configuration elements maycomprise the resources. The resources may be employed based on theconstraints, the tickets, and the location of the vendor to meet theSLA. As per the SLA, the client may raise a request in a form of theticket. The ticket may indicate a task that the client requests thevendor to fulfill in a given time. In one example, the ticket mayinclude the request to install/upgrade an application in a database ofthe client. Based on the request, the vendor may install/upgrade theapplication in the database of the client. In order to process therequest, the tickets may be allotted to the resources of the vendor. Inone implementation, the tickets may have to be distributed across theresources to process the request. The tickets may be distributed acrossthe configuration elements based on a type of the ticket or frequency ofthe ticket that the vendor may receive. The tickets may comprise aplurality of attributes. In one example, the plurality of attributes maycomprise competency, expertise level, priority of the tickets, and timerequired to meet the plurality of the SLA compliances. In one example, aticket may require a specific competence by the configuration elementsto resolve the request. Based on the expected competence required, theticket may be distributed among the plurality of configuration elements.Based on the expected competence required, the tickets may bedistributed on a basis of priority or type of the competency specified.

The resources may comprise employees or databases required to meet theSLA. In order to process the ticket received from the client, theemployees or the databases that are available may have to be optimallyallotted. In one implementation, details of the employees may bereceived from the database. Similarly, number of the databases availablemay be considered to allot the resources. In one implementation, thedetails may be stored in the memory 206. In one example, the details ofthe employees may comprise details such as shifts timings in which theemployees work, cost of an employee, the type of competency an employeecomprises and an expertise level an employee has. Based on the availableresources, the tickets may have to be allotted based on the constraints.

The constraints may comprise user-defined constraints or service levelconstraints. The user defined constraints may comprise number of theshifts the employees are working and timings within which the employeeswork. The service level constraints may be defined in the SLA. In oneexample, the service level constraints may comprise compliance levelsrequired for different SLAs in the service engagement. For example, theservice level constraints may comprise maximum response time that thevendor may take for processing a ticket, maximum resolution time foreach ticket type, and lower resolution time for ticket type of higherpriority, etc.

The location indicates where the service engagement may be carried out.In one example, for a particular SLA, the configuration elements may beused from a single location to meet the SLA. In another example, theconfiguration elements may be used from at least two locations to meetthe SLA.

For allotting optimum configuration elements to meet the SLAs, thesystem 102 may create a model. The model may be created by allocating asubset of the plurality of configuration elements to meet the SLA. Thesubset of the plurality of configuration elements indicates selecting aportion of the plurality of configuration elements to meet the SLAsbased on the service engagement. For example, consider the SLA requiresparticular ticket to be completed in a span of one month. Further,consider the resources comprise the employees having higher level orlower level expertise to process the tickets raised. Based on the SLArequirements, the system 102 may create a model by selecting theresources with the lower level expertise to complete the ticket in onemonth. Similarly, if the SLA comprises a ticket that requires the ticketto be processed by the employees with a mixture of higher level andlower level expertise, the system 102 may create the model comprisingthe resources with a mixture of as higher level and lower levelexpertise.

For the above example, the system 102 may consider several factors toallocate the plurality of configuration elements. For example, theplurality of configuration elements may comprise applications, networkcomponents, database servers, and mainframes. The vendor may comprisethe resources that may be grouped into functions. The resources may begrouped to meet the SLAs. The plurality of configuration elements may beallotted to meet the SLAs such as an event management, a requestfulfillment, an incident management, a problem management, and an accessmanagement.

The event management may indicate a process of analyzing, and planningto meet the objectives of the client by the vendor. For example, thevendor may analyze and plan number of resources required for executing aproject for the client in a year. The request fulfillment may indicateinformation provided by the vendor to the client based on a requestraised by the client. In one example, the client may raise a request ina form of a ticket. In one example, the ticket may include the requestto install/upgrade an application in a database of the client. Based onthe request, the vendor may install/upgrade the application in thedatabase of the client. The incident management may indicate responsetime taken by the vendor to resolve an issue of the client. In oneexample, consider a break down in a network of the client to access thedatabase. The client may request the vendor to check an error to fix thenetwork. The amount of time the vendor takes to fix the network e.g. onehour may be considered for the incident management.

The problem management may indicate managing problems that occur duringtenure of the service engagement. In one example, measures taken by thevendor to prevent the problems from occurring. For example, the measurestaken by the vendor to prevent break down in the network may beconsidered as the problem management. In another example, the measurestaken by the vendor to eliminate recurring incidents and to minimize theimpact of incidents that cannot be prevented may be considered as theproblem management. The access management may be indicative controllingaccess to view the information of the client for personnel at anorganization of the vendor or client. For example, the vendor may grantaccess to the data of the client to the personnel who have authority inthe organization. Similarly, the vendor may restrict or deny access tothe data of the client to the personnel who do not have authority in theorganization.

Based on the plurality of configuration elements available, the vendormay have to allot optimal configuration elements to meet the SLA.Therefore, the vendor may allot a set of the plurality of configurationelements based on the pre-defined conditions agreed. In order to allotthe subset, the vendor may have to consider several factors. The factorsmay comprise the resources available, the location and the constraints.The resources may comprise roles and responsibilities, skills andcompetencies, shifts, the configuration elements that are to besupported, and functions of the resources.

In one embodiment, the resources to be allotted for the subset may becalculated using effort requirements for each of configuration elements.The effort requirements may comprise the number of Full Time Equivalent(FTE) required, skills training and experience for each FTE andassignment of roles and responsibilities to the resources. Further, thelocation of the resource and the shift timing of the resource may beconsidered to determine the subset. Further, the skill of the resourcemay be categorized based on an expertise level of the resource. Forexample, the resource at expertise level 1 may indicate the resourcecomprising less expertise to process the ticket. The resource atexpertise level 3 may indicate the resource comprising more expertise toprocess the ticket.

After calculating the resources for the subset, costs associated withthe subset may be determined. In order to determine the cost for thesubset, costs associated with the FTE requirements and fixed cost perFTE for the distribution of the resources may be considered. Further,cost for each ticket may be determined and a margin that is to be keptmay be defined. In one implementation, the cost for each ticket may bedetermined based on the configuration elements allotted and thedistribution of the tickets to the configuration elements allotted.After determining the cost of each ticket, cost per FTE and fixed costper FTE, a total cost for the subset may be obtained.

The costs for the subset may be determined by considering fixed andvariable costs associated while allotting the configuration elements. Inone implementation, the cost of the subset may be determined using atleast one of a fixed cost, a variable cost and a combination of fixedand variable. For determining the fixed cost, total costs for the subsetmay be considered for the configuration elements in the SLA. Fordetermining the variable cost, as volume of the tickets may be notassured, the costs may be calculated based on the resources availableand volume of the tickets expected.

In order to obtain the costs for the SLA, it may be necessary toestimate the volume of tickets that is expected. The volume of thetickets may be estimated using knowledge of earlier estimation thatmight have been carried out. Further, the volume of the tickets expectedmay be determined using an average number of the tickets based onrequirements specified in the SLA and calculating the number of thetickets that are arriving per hour based on a Poisson distribution. ThePoisson distribution may be plotted as may be known in the art.

For example, consider the SLA comprises Customer relationship management(CRM) that requires the volume of the tickets to be estimated. In orderto estimate the volume of tickets, at first, mean of hourly rate of thetickets based on earlier estimation may be determined. Further, assumethat the average of forty tickets per hour is estimated based on theearlier estimation for the CRM. By plotting the Poisson distribution,the average for the number of the tickets for each hour may beestimated. The average estimated for the above example may be nearlyforty with less number of tickets falling above or below forty. Based onthe volume of the tickets estimated, number of the resources required toresolve the tickets may be calculated. Further, the costs for theresources required to resolve the ticket may be calculated.

In the combination of fixed and variable cost, cost per ticket for eachof the configuration element and additional cost of the additionalresource may be determined. For determining the additional cost,specific variable cost per ticket may be considered for theconfiguration element wherein the cost varies based on volume of thetickets. In one implementation, the fixed cost may be selected if volumeof the tickets and total costs for the tickets to be used are known. Inone implementation, the variable cost may be used if the volume of thetickets are known and cost for the tickets are unknown or vice versa. Inone implementation, the combination of the fixed and variable cost maybe used when the cost for the ticket is known and additional cost of theadditional resources to be used for the tickets is not known.

In order to illustrate allotting the subset to create the model, Table 1may be used as an example. Specifically, Table 1 illustrates the SLAindicating how the configuration elements might be distrusted based onthe SLA compliance levels agreed in the service engagement.

TABLE 1 Table 1: SLA SLA No. of Shifts 3 Duration of each Shift 8 hr.Types of Competencies 5 No. of Expertise level in 3 each CompetencyTicket priority Levels 4

Based on the SLA, the vendor may have to allot the plurality ofconfiguration elements considering the SLA compliance. In one example,the SLA compliance for the above example may be presented in Table 2.

TABLE 2 Table 2: SLA compliance SLA Minimum Compliance SLA period (inCompliance Ticket Priority min.) Level (%) Priority Critical (4) 30 96Priority High (3) 40 95 Priority Medium (2) 45 94 Priority Low (1) 55 90

Based on the SLA and the SLA compliance, the vendor may allot theconfiguration elements for the set to meet the SLA. The vendor maycreate the model considering the configuration elements required to meetthe SLA. The vendor may receive details such the resources available anddistribution of the tickets to the resources based on the expertiselevel. Further, the costs associated with the resources to engage on thetickets may be determined. In one example, the costs per hour for theresources may be determined as shown in Table 3. Specifically, Table 3illustrates the cost of the resource based on the expertise level andthe competency type of the resource.

TABLE 3 Table 3: Costs per hour for the resources Resource Resource TypeCost Competency Type 1 Expertise Level 1 15 Expertise Level 2 45Expertise Level 3 75 Competency Type 2 Expertise Level 1 30 ExpertiseLevel 2 60

After allotting the configuration elements and determining the costsbased on the allotment for the subset, the model may be simulated. Themodel may be simulated to provide information of the SLA that may beexpected based on the resources allotted for the subset for apre-defined interval. In one example, the simulation may show theoptimal resources required corresponding to the model to resolve theticket. For example, the simulation may show parameters required toresolve the ticket. The parameters may comprise number of ticketsarrived per competency, number of tickets solved at each expertise levelof each competency, number and percentage of the tickets resolved withinthe SLA compliance specified time limits, utilization rate of theemployees, etc. The model may be simulated to verify the SLA compliancesbeing met by the subset allotted. The model may be simulated to obtain atime series data indicating behavior of the model. The time series dataobtained may show performance of the subset allotted for a predeterminedtime interval. For example, the time series data may show how theresources can be used for the subset over a period of one year.

For example, consider the model presented in Table 1, 2 and 3. Aftersimulating the model with the number of employees of each competency andeach expertise levels to be 3, results may be obtained as below.

TABLE 4 Table 4: Simulation results for the model Parameter Simulationresult Priority Critical (4) 97.34% Compliance level Priority High (3)Compliance 96.32% level Priority Medium (2) 94.19% Compliance levelPriority Low (1) Compliance 92.41% level Average Employee Utilization65.42%

From Table 4, it may be observed that for the resources allotted, theemployees per competency type and the expertise level 3 has lowutilization of the resources to meet the SLA. In order to reduce thecost, the model may be optimized by modifying the subset allotted forthe model. Consider that the model may be optimized by allotting theemployees per competency type and the expertise level 2. Based on thesubset that is modified, the model may be simulated. For the resourcesallotted for the subset, the simulation may provide results as presentedin Table 5.

TABLE 5 Table 5: Simulation results Parameter Simulation result PriorityCritical (4) Compliance 96.47% level Priority High (3) Compliance 95.37%level Priority Medium (2) 93.48% Compliance level Priority Low (1)Compliance 91.08% level Average Employee Utilization 88.72%

Based on the simulation, the optimal resources required to meet the SLAmay be estimated. In one example, the model may be simulated based onthe SLA compliance specified for the SLA. For example, consider the SLAcompliance specified to meet the SLA is 95%. For the SLA compliancespecified, the model may be simulated using the costs determined for thesubset allotted. In one example, the SLA may specify that the SLAcompliance to be 95%. The SLA compliance may be specified based onpriority of the tickets, e.g., the SLA may be specified that the SLAcompliance to be of 98% for critical tickets, 96% for high prioritytickets and 93% for low priority tickets. In one implementation, theremight be penalties for not meeting requirements specified in SLA. Thepenalties may indicate the costs associated with not meeting the SLA. Inone example, the penalty may be specified as—for each percentage pointof the SLA compliance that is missed, the vendor may be liable to paythe client or have the amount deducted from the vendor fees e.g.,thousand. Based on the penalty, profit for the vendor may be determinedfor the SLA. In one implementation, the profit may be determined asrevenue from the SLA minus the cost of the employees, other costs andthe penalty for not meeting the SLA. The other costs may include cost ofinfrastructure and the resources such as computers, databases, etc.

In one implementation, the model may be simulated to see the SLAcompliance in an order of critical, high, medium, and low. Thesimulation obtained may show a status of the SLA such that the subsetfor the model may be realloted with the resources.

Based on the performance of the subset allotted to meet the SLA, themodel may be optimized. The model may be optimized by allocating anothersubset of the plurality of configuration elements. Thus, the model maybe optimized to obtain an optimal allocation of the plurality ofconfiguration elements. For example, if the performance of the modeldeclines over a period of time, then the subset allotted may replacedwith the another subset. In one example, another subset of the pluralityof configuration elements may indicate engaging the resources with highexpertise level to meet the SLA and thereby meeting the SLA compliance.

In one implementation, the model may be optimized to minimize the costsassociated with the subset allotted, distribution of the tickets in aspecified location and shift. For example, if the resource cannotresolve a ticket, the ticket may be given to a resource of highexpertise level for resolution. The tickets may be distributed such thatthe ticket is resolved to meet the SLA compliance e.g. one day period toresolve the ticket. If the SLA compliance is not met, then the system102 may modify the resources allotted for the model and may simulate themodel to optimize the model. For example, the system 102 may modify theresources allotted by increasing the number of resources allotted tomeet the SLA. The model may be modified until an optimal allocation ofthe configuration elements are obtained for the subset.

In order to explain allotting of the configuration elements to meet theSLA, an example may be used. Consider the contextual variables for theservice engagement are the location, shifts and the number of ticketsreceived per hour. In one example, consider there are two locations, 1and 2. Consider location 1 has three shifts and location 2 has twoshifts. Further consider the number of tickets expected is as per anhour. Table 6 may be used to illustrate the model comprising theconstraints that are to be considered for the SLA and the contextvariables for the service engagement.

TABLE 6 Table 6: Constraints of the SLA and the context variables forthe service engagement Ticket Volume Competency Location Shift (/hour)SLA level Required 1 1 30 95.00% 1, 2 1 2 35 97.00% 1, 2 1 3 30 95.00%1, 3 2 1 27 94.00% 2, 3 2 2 34 97.00% 3

A subset of the configuration elements may be allotted to meet the SLA.For the above example, the resources may be allotted as shown in Table7.

TABLE 7 Table 7: Allocation of the resources Number of Location ShiftCompetency resources 1 1 1 2 1 1 2 2 1 2 1 3 1 2 2 3 1 3 1 3 1 3 3 2 2 12 2 2 1 3 2 2 2 3 5

Based on the resources allotted for the model, the model may besimulated. After simulating the model, the utilization of the resourcesto meet the SLA compliance may be determined. For the model discussedabove, the utilization of the resources may be obtained and the resultsmay be presented in Table 8.

TABLE 8 Table 8: Simulation of the resource utilization SLA LocationShift Utilization Compliance 1 1 79.00% 96.00% 1 2 87.00% 91.00% 1 386.00% 93.00% 2 1 80.00% 96.00% 2 2 90.00% 89.00%

From the results, if the allocation of the plurality of configurationelements for the subset is as per the SLA, the resources allotted may beconsidered as optimal. If the resources allotted are not optimal to meetthe SLA, the model may be optimized by allocating another subset of theplurality of configuration elements. Consider another subset of theplurality of configuration elements is allotted as shown in Table 9.

TABLE 9 Table 9: Allotment of another subset of the plurality ofconfiguration elements Number of Location Shift Competency resources 1 11 2 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 4 1 2 2 5 1 3 1 3 1 3 3 4 2 1 2 2 2 1 3 1 2 2 3 6

Based on the plurality of configuration elements allotted for the modeli.e., another subset, the model may be simulated. Based on thesimulation, the utilization of the resources to meet the SLA compliancemay be determined. For the plurality of configuration elements allottedas shown in Table 9, the utilization of the resources may be obtainedand the results may be presented as Table 10.

TABLE 10 Table 10: Simulation of the resource utilization SLA LocationShift Utilization Compliance 1 1 88.00% 95.30% 1 2 81.00% 97.20% 1 379.00% 96.10% 2 1 86.00% 94.80% 2 2 81.20% 97.20%

Based on the results obtained after simulating the model for the subsetand another subset, the model that may be suitable to meet the SLA maybe selected. If the model is not suitable, the plurality ofconfiguration elements allotted may be changed and the model may besimulated to obtain the optimal allocation of the configurationelements.

Referring now to FIG. 3, a method 300 for optimizing allocation ofconfiguration elements in a service engagement is shown, in accordancewith an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method 300 may bedescribed in the general context of computer executable instructions.Generally, computer executable instructions can include routines,programs, objects, components, data structures, procedures, modules,functions, etc., that perform particular functions or implementparticular abstract data types. The method 300 may also be practiced ina distributed computing environment where functions are performed byremote processing devices that are linked through a communicationsnetwork. In a distributed computing environment, computer executableinstructions may be located in both local and remote computer storagemedia, including memory storage devices.

The order in which the method 300 is described and is not intended to beconstrued as a limitation, and any number of the described method blockscan be combined in any order to implement the method 300 or alternatemethods. Additionally, individual blocks may be deleted from the method300 without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosuredescribed herein. Furthermore, the method may be implemented in anysuitable hardware, software, firmware, or combination thereof. However,for ease of explanation, in the embodiments described below, the method300 may be implemented in the above-described system 102.

At step/block 302, a plurality of Service Level Agreements (SLAs)corresponding to a service engagement between a client and a vendor maybe received. A Service Level Agreement (SLA) of the plurality of ServiceLevel Agreements (SLAs) comprises a plurality of configuration elementsand a plurality of SLA compliances. The plurality of configurationelements indicates factors facilitating the execution of the SLA. Theplurality of SLA compliances indicates a plurality of pre-definedconditions agreed between the client and the vendor to meet the SLA.

At step/block 304, a model may be created to meet the plurality of SLAcompliances. The model may be created by allocating a subset of theplurality of configuration elements to meet the SLA.

At step/block 306, the model may be simulated to verify the plurality ofSLA compliances being met by the subset allotted.

At step/block 308, a time series data indicating behaviour of the modelmay be obtained. The time series data obtained may showutilization/performance of the subset allotted for a predefined timeinterval.

At step/block 310, the model may be optimized to obtain an optimalallocation of the plurality of configuration elements for the subset.The model may be optimized by allocating another subset of the pluralityof configuration elements.

Although implementations of system and method for optimizing allocationof configuration elements in a service engagement have been described inlanguage specific to structural features and/or methods, it is to beunderstood that the appended claims are not necessarily limited to thespecific features or methods described. Rather, the specific featuresand methods are disclosed as examples of implementations for optimizingallocation of configuration elements.

1. A method for optimizing allocation of configuration elements in aservice engagement, the method comprising: receiving, by a processor, aplurality of Service Level Agreements (SLAs) corresponding to a serviceengagement between a client and a vendor, wherein a Service LevelAgreement (SLA) of the plurality of Service Level Agreements (SLAs)comprises a plurality of configuration elements and a plurality of SLAcompliances, and wherein the plurality of configuration elementsindicates factors facilitating the execution of the service engagementto meet the SLA, and wherein the plurality of SLA compliances indicatesa plurality of pre-defined conditions agreed between the client and thevendor to meet the SLA; creating, by the processor, a model to meet theplurality of SLA compliances, wherein the model is created by allocatinga subset of the plurality of configuration elements to meet the SLA;simulating, by the processor, the model in order to verify the pluralityof SLA compliances being met by the subset allotted; obtaining, by theprocessor, a time series data indicating behavior of the model, whereinthe time series data obtained shows utilization/performance of thesubset allotted for a predefined time interval; and optimizing, by theprocessor, the model to obtain an optimal allocation of the plurality ofconfiguration elements for the subset, wherein the model is optimized byallocating another subset of the plurality of configuration elements. 2.The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of configuration elementscomprises resources allotted based on constraints, tickets, and alocation.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the tickets comprise aplurality of attributes, wherein the plurality of attributes comprisescompetency, priority of the tickets, expertise level and time requiredto meet the plurality of the SLA compliances.
 4. The method of claim 1,further comprising calculating costs associated with the model to meetthe plurality of SLA compliances, wherein the costs are calculated basedon at least one of the plurality of configuration elements allotted tothe model and the contextual variables.
 5. A system for optimizingallocation of configuration elements in a service engagement, the systemcomprising: a processor; and a memory coupled to the processor, Whereinthe processor executes program instructions stored in the memory, to:receive a plurality of Service Level Agreements (SLAs) corresponding toa service engagement between a client and a vendor, wherein a ServiceLevel Agreement (SLA) of the plurality of Service Level Agreements(SLAs) comprises a plurality of configuration elements and a pluralityof SLA compliances, and wherein the plurality of configuration elementsindicates factors facilitating the execution of the service engagementto meet the SLA, and wherein the plurality of SLA compliances indicatesa plurality of pre-defined conditions agreed between the client and thevendor to meet the SLA; create a model to meet the plurality of SLAcompliances, wherein the model is created by allocating a subset of theplurality of configuration elements to meet the SLA; simulate the modelin order to verify the plurality of SLA compliances being met by thesubset allotted; obtain a time series data indicating behavior of themodel, wherein the time series data obtained showsutilization/performance of the subset allotted for a predefined timeinterval; and optimize the model to obtain an optimal allocation of theplurality of configuration elements for the subset, wherein the model isoptimized by allocating another subset of the plurality of configurationelements.
 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the plurality ofconfiguration elements comprises resources allotted based onconstraints, tickets, and a location.
 7. The system of claim 5, whereinthe tickets comprise a plurality of attributes, wherein the plurality ofattributes comprises competency, priority of the tickets, expertiselevel and time required to meet the plurality of the SLA compliances. 8.The system of claim 5, further comprises the program instructions tocalculate costs associated with the model to meet the plurality of SLAcompliances, wherein the costs are calculated based on at least one ofthe plurality of configuration elements allotted to the model.
 9. Anon-transitory computer readable medium embodying a program executablein a computing device for optimizing allocation of configurationelements in a service engagement, the program comprising: a program codefor receiving a plurality of Service Level Agreements (SLAs)corresponding to a service engagement between a client and a vendor,wherein a Service Level Agreement (SLA) of the plurality of ServiceLevel Agreements (SLAs) comprises a plurality of configuration elementsand a plurality of SLA compliances, and wherein the plurality ofconfiguration elements indicates factors facilitating the execution ofthe service engagement to meet the SLA, and wherein the plurality of SLAcompliances indicates a plurality of pre-defined conditions agreedbetween the client and the vendor to meet the SLA; a program code forcreating a model to meet the plurality of SLA compliances, wherein themodel is created by allocating a subset of the plurality ofconfiguration elements to meet the SLA; a program code for simulatingthe model in order to verify the plurality of SLA compliances being metby the subset allotted; a program code for obtaining a time series dataindicating behavior of the model, wherein the time series data obtainedshows utilization/performance of the subset allotted for a predefinedtime interval; and a program code for optimizing the model to obtain anoptimal allocation of the plurality of configuration elements for thesubset, wherein the model is optimized by allocating another subset ofthe plurality of configuration elements.